Andrew Edwards

ICONIC statues of The Beatles designed and made in the Potteries have been unveiled in the band’s home city of Liverpool. The 8ft high bronze statues, designed by Blurton-born sculptor Andy Edwards, below, stand on the city’s World Heritage waterfront.The statues, which weigh more than a tonne, have been paid for by the Cavern Club and donated to the city.But the work was made entirely in Stoke-on-Trent, at the Wedgwood factory.

Andy, an avid Beatles fan, said: “The Beatles statue is the work I’m most proud of, because it has been the most collaborative work. “I can remember walking around the waterfront with the original sketch models and everybody wanted to talk to us, everybody’s got a Beatles story. “You realise how much you are influenced by these four mates. I was a vegetarian, probably because of Linda and Paul McCartney.

“Then there was John Lennon and Yoko Ono and the Bed-In for Peace (when the couple held two week-long bed-ins just after their wedding, in protest at the Vietnam War). John in that bed, presenting his beliefs about peace. George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh, which was a precursor to Live Aid. I was panicking over Paul, he has been the hardest portrait I’ve ever done. “He has got such a unique face. I met a cousin of his who has got similar features and that helped. I also met John Lennon’s sister Julia (Baird) so I was really lucky.”

Beatles Sculpture in Liverpool

The sculptor said when viewed from a distance, the work looks as though it is just four lads. “Then you get a bit closer and realise who it is,” he added. “They are portrayed from around 1964. I was trying to capture the period just before they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in America. Paul has got a coat he wore in Dublin and he still wore in America.

“John is carrying and George wearing a leather jacket. It’s The Beatles about to take on the world and win.

“It’s one of those pieces that has been slavishly researched. There’s lots of hidden imagery. John is carrying two acorns as a preview of what he and Yoko are going to do. Paul is carrying a cine camera – it’s his obsession with filming which led to the anthologies.”

Chris Butler, of Liverpool-based Castle Foundry, where the statue was cast, first came up with the concept around eight years ago, inspired by the image in Liverpool One of The Beatles outside the BBC.